animentality:

God.

I just remembered that Zuko spoke out of turn to argue that his father shouldn’t sacrifice loyal fire nation soldiers gratuitously on the battlefield and not only was he horrendously scarred across the face for it, but he was banished and sent on what was essentially an impossible task.

And not only was he 13, but by that point, he’d been psychologically abused by his father and even sister for being the “disappointment” and the unfavorite child.

He had some peace with his mother, for being more compassionate, and she genuinely loved and expressed affection for him but she was banished.

And he was left alone with a sister who was cruel to him and would eventually become something of a psychopath, and a father who had previously wanted to kill him for possibly not being a firebender.

And who would constantly criticize him and make the threat of physical punishment constantly hang over his head.

That is like.

One of the worst and most horrible fictional backstories ever.

And it’s not even uncommon in the avatar universe?

Katara’s mother was killed and her village was practically wiped out and left with no water benders except Katara.

Aang’s entire people and way of life was eliminated while he was gone.

I’ve already talked about how horrible Azula’s mental state was as the result of being made cruel and overly perfectionist with her shit father.

We see children in this series suffering under imperial fire nation rule in the earth kingdom.

We see jet and his freedom fighters, how a bunch of children were left without parents to take care of them.

We see water benders literally being chained in prisons and only allowed water from a cup extended on a pole like they’re fucking animals.

We see so many horrible things, but they’re watered down just a bit so that the show is still kid friendly.

ATLA did such a good job of showing us how depleted the southern water tribe was and how the fire nation left the earth kingdom in shambles, or under strict military rule.

The world building was gorgeous and the narrative, the storytelling, all of it was cheerful, yet serious when it needed to be.

And with the characters, you know, they’re not angsty and moody all the time.

Even before Zuko redeemed himself, he had his funny moments. He was a good person, despite his best efforts.

But the show, man.

I don’t know why but I just suddenly thought.

13 years old?

13 fucking years old?

And my heart just suddenly throbbed because that’s so fucking young.

Zuko was banished at such a young age and told he was worthless.

He was basically told to go find the avatar, who hasn’t been seen in a hundred fucking years, or never come home.

He had Iroh but he didn’t appreciate the man until he was gone.

He was so consumed with anger and bitterness that it became difficult for him to fire bend WITHOUT it.

That’s so heart breaking to me.

Even years later.

I’m still fucking affected by this.

Like.

Why was ATLA so fucking perfect?

Why will nothing ever top ATLA?

Its interesting tho to look at the show now as an adult and think “oh my god these kids are so young. This is so horrible. How can they put kids through this” But when i was that age it didnt feel that way. You dont realize how young you are until you grow older and are looking back. But as a kid, seeing the alta kids go through all that they did, i never questioned it or thought they were too young. i may have not witnessed a genocide but even at that age i had already been through some shit, which made atla all the more relatable.

Kids should never have to go through the things they do in atla, but the reality is that kids do go through these things. Some kids go through great losses. Some kids suffer from abuse, and refusing to acknowledge that these things happen doesnt make them go away. To ignore this reality in children’s media because it’s thought to be too much for them is really underselling kids and their understanding and resilience, especially kids who can see their own reality reflected in this show. Having a show that recognizes this reality and shows those kids working through their traumas, becoming stronger, and reaching their happy ending can be so validating, especially for kids who may not have a lot of media that shows them in this light.